Crash Bandicoot Origins
by rjm324
Summary: After an experiment at a trio of islands goes awry, Crash, a mutated bandicoot, returns to get back on his creator, Dr Neo Cortex, with the help of an ancient spirit mask. ON HIATUS
1. A New Beginning

Not even thirty minutes ago, a sweet, reddish bandicoot named Crash was peacefully listening to the rustling of leaves. After an afternoon of playtime, he had gotten worn out, and wanted to take a nap, although he would later regret it. After awaking, Crash just lied there, listening to the whistling of the wind and, of course, the rustling of leaves across the plains of his Australian island home.

The next thing he knew, Crash noticed a duo of short, yet surprisingly intimidating, people that picked him up, shoved him into a box, and tossed into the back of a Jeep. Unable to do anything, Crash just squealed helplessly as the Jeep began to creep forward for a few seconds before speeding along through the desert. With nothing else to do, Crash just bundled up in a corner and fell asleep again.

"Are you sure we are guaranteed success?" the green coated man asked.

"Trust me, Brio," the white coated man replied. "Sometimes, it's the unexpected that works out for the better. You, of all people, should know that."

"Well, sure," Brio replied. "But c'mon, Cortex. Sometimes, I question your judgment. Even for you, this plan is a long shot."

"Bah!" Cortex snarled. "For world domination, nothing is too farfetched. We have been working for far too long to give up now. And, like I said, the unexpected can sometimes benefit the prepared."

"But…"

Cortex snapped. "I will not allow such negligence get between me and control of the world! I will take whatever risks I want to, and if you don't like it, you can just walk away. In fact…" Cortex brought the Jeep to a screeching halt, and pointed to the passenger side door.

"There's the door, Brio. If you don't want onboard, then just walk away. I'll get what I want, and your conscious is clear. It's your choice." Brio thought about this for a moment, for he wanted to have control of the world, but he also didn't want his lifelong goal to be gambled with a long shot of a plan.

"I… don't want to throw it away," Brio finally replied. "I'll stay, no more questions asked."

Cortex smiled, patting Brio's back as he continued to drive the Jeep through the hot, unforgiving desert.

The drive, just like Crash's nap, was mostly peaceful, save for the small roar of the Jeep's engine. Brio and Cortex had not discussed much else to each other except for some small talk concerning their plan.

Crash could hear them speak, but he couldn't understand either of them. Still unable to do anything, Crash looked through the slotted door of his cage. Outside, he saw an astonishing, monolithic castle; the castle was colored dark grey, stood almost 1,000 feet above the ground on a mountainside, and a plume of ash erupted from the nuclear plant stationed behind it. Three large stone towers rose from the castle as well, giving those who observed it a sense of inferiority.

As the Jeep drove up the mountain road, a large figure emerged from the castle; from a distance, it almost looked like a Sasquatch-like being, but as the vehicle neared, this was not the case. Upon closer inspection, the figure looked to be about six feet tall, covered with bluish fur, and had the face of a koala.

"Ah, Koala Kong," Cortex said to the creature. "We brought you some more weights to carry to the cells." He pointed to the three cages in the back. "Knock yourself out." Koala Kong grunted, seemingly as a sign of thanks. He walked to the back of the Jeep as Cortex and Brio entered into the castle. When he looked into Crash's cage, Crash, once again fearing for his life, backed into a corner of the cage.

Grinning, he picked up the three cages and disappeared into the castle. Marching through the hallway, Kong stared into the piercing darkness, while Crash looked around at the gloomy faces that made littered the cells. Finally, Kong halted in front of a cell with the word "bandicoot" printed on the metal nametag located above the door; impatiently, Kong opened Crash's cage, shook him into his cell, and slammed the cell door shut.

Alone in his cell, Crash once again looked at the dark, gloomy faces that peered at him through the dimly lit hall of cells. From koalas to kangaroos, he was amazed by the variety of animals locked up alongside him. Just as he lost all hope, Crash recognized a familiar face…


	2. The Plan

Pain. That's all that Crash could think about. It has only been a week since he was captured, and yet he was already being experimented on by Cortex and Brio. He had been mutated from a simple bandicoot to a five foot tall, anthromorphic freak; he could stand on two feet and was capable of audible grunts. And, apparently, Crash's grunts were fairly noticeable, because Brio started to become a bit concerned.

"Cortex," Brio started. "Are you sure this is safe? He sounds as if he is in a lot of pain."

Cortex just laughed. "Moron! This is the same process I used on all of my henchmen, including Koala Kong, yet I only had one failure."

"Do I want to know how that turned out?" Brio asked.

"No," Cortex replied. "Because that was the reason I had to tweak the process."

"And how long ago was that?" Cortex remained silent.

"Earth to Cortex. How long…"

"Two weeks ago," Cortex silently replied.

Brio was puzzled. "Then why…"

"Because," Cortex continued, reluctantly, "I didn't want you to worry about it. The subject escaped after the process, and I was too ashamed to accept it." Cortex walked over to the window, wearing a sad look on his face. "I knew the process wasn't perfect, so I tweaked a few kinks to help make the next subject, that bandicoot, the leader of my army."

Brio wanted to know more, but he just kept to himself and continued to torment Crash with serums and electric zaps.

After hours of pain, Koala tossed Crash back into his cell and walked away. Donning brown gloves and a pair of blue jeans, Crash just sat in a corner, considering his options.

"Hey, Crash," a voice behind him called. He turned to find his one source of happiness: his sister, Coco. Crash waved back at her, half heartedly.

"You hanging in there?" Coco asked. Crash moaned in disagreement.

"It must not be easy for you, bro. I should know. I've been here for much longer than you have, and it was unbearable what they did to me." Crash grunted, as if he agreed with her. He had never thought about how Coco went through exactly what he was going through now. In fact, this realization depressed him.

"Well, don't you worry," Coco continued, "we're in this together now, and I'm sure we'll be out soon. Good night, bro." She backed into her own cell, hidden from Crash's view. Feeling worn out, Crash backed into a corner and went to sleep.

With full concern, Brio decided to confront Cortex about his plan.

"Cortex!" Brio called. Cortex came out of his lab.

"What is it now, Brio," He demanded.

"I'd just like to ask you a serious question," Brio told Cortex.

"What's that?"

Brio resisted for a moment, but finally asked, "What exactly is your plan for world domination, and what makes the bandicoot perfect for the plan?"

Cortex had a puzzled look on his face for just a moment, but quickly melted into a grin.

"I'm glad you asked," Cortex replied, "Because I've been meaning to tell you for almost a week. I didn't have all the details in place yet, but now I do." Cortex walked to the door of his lab. "Won't you join me?" Brio nodded, and made a dash to the door as well. Suddenly, the lights lit up the entire lab.

"You see," Cortex began, "it all started almost a year ago, about the same time I met you. When you asked what I wanted to do with my life, do you remember what I replied?"

"Yea, biological sciences," Brio replied. "So?"

"So, I knew I wanted to do something with that knowledge, but I didn't know what. Then, I started watching a lot of science movies about creatures destroying cities and mad scientists. I thought they were so cool that I wanted to do something like that. So after that, I experimented with several different types of technologies until I discovered a way to turn animals into human-like beings.

"After that, I began to find a place to settle down and expand my research until I chose this trio of islands. After spending five months building this castle, I invited you here to help out. Remember that?"

"Yes. But how does that tie into your plan?"

"This." Cortex pulled the drape off of a machine that had caught the attention of Brio for weeks now. Mounted to the ground was an orange colored chair with hydraulics installed, and on the ceiling, a chamber lined with yellow lights was mounted as well.

"What is that?" Brio asked in awe.

"The Cortex Vortex," Cortex replied. "And with it, I can finally control the world."

"But why do you need that bandicoot? Couldn't you have used Koala Kong for that?"

"I tried," Cortex replied, "but he wasn't compatible. In fact, lots of testing revealed that most of the island's inhabitants are incompatible. I believe it was because they were mostly predators and could not be controlled.

"However, I never tried using the weaker, more vulnerable inhabitants like that bandicoot. My thinking is if I can control a creature that is weaker than the rest, then the world may yet be mine!"

"Ahh, I see. Predators have more instinct that could override any commands you might give them. But, if you control the vulnerable, those who have little to live for, then they could be more susceptible to influence. Like a baby learning from its mother.

"Precisely, my friend." Cortex let out a hand to his wary, yet trustworthy comrade.

"Are you still with me, Brio?" Cortex asked. "Won't you stand by my side?"

Brio instantly shook his hand in agreement. "I always have. You know that. We're like brothers."

Cortex smiled. "Then give me some results and the world will be ours for the taking."

"As you wish, sir."


	3. The Breakout

With a bang, Crash awoke, frightened as a little kid. Dashing to the corner, he was no match for the iron grip of Koala Kong, dragging Crash away from his cell.

"Crash!" Coco cried, fearing for his brother's safety. However, she was also unable to do anything behind her bars. As the towering henchman walked through the doorway, the door suddenly slammed shut, and Coco collapsed into tears.

"What now?" she asked herself, straining to be optimistic, but she believed there was little hope for Crash now. All she could do now was sit in a corner with her thoughts.

CB CB CB CB CB

"Cortex," Brio said frantically as the two progressed quickly to the lab, "what's the hurry? And what's with that smile?"

Cortex chuckled. "Because we're ready."

"Ready?" Brio asked.

"The time is right. It's time to see what that bandicoot is capable of."

"Y-you don't mean…"

"I do! The bandicoot will go into the vortex." Brio stopped in an instant. He knew what was happening now.

Cortex stopped as well, facing his colleague. "Is something the matter?"

"Are you sure it's time? Have you even tested the machine yet?"

"There's no time, Brio." Cortex placed his hands on Brio's shoulders. "Believe me when I say the timing has worked out perfectly. Certain events have transpired that will allow us to conquer the world swiftly and perfectly. Soon, the world will be at our knees, begging for mercy." Cortex then let out a maniacal laugh of evil.

"B-but boss…"

"Silence, moron!" Cortex yelled. Then, he turned around, ready to proceed.

"I thought you were with me, Brio."

"I am, but…"

"But NOTHING! Are you coming or not?" Cortex made another run for the lab.

While he was still unsure of Cortex's morals, Brio still ran with his friend to the birth of their future.

CB CB CB CB CB

As Koala bashed through the lab's door, Crash still struggled to escape his steely grasp. All was for nothing, however, as he was restrained in a chair that stood under a strange, illuminated machine. Koala, his job completed, disappeared into the castle's interior. With all his might, Crash still struggled to get out of his restraints and escape while he could, but to no avail. Instead, he sat there like the lab rat he was made out to be.

Moments later, Cortex and Brio arrived to begin their work.

Cortex smiled. "Why, hello there little guy." Cortex said calmly. "I'm sure you know why we're here." Crash began to struggle again as a sign of defiance.

"Now, now," Cortex continued as he grabbed a needle and a bag of clear liquid, "we can't have you struggling like that. We'll have to fix that." Cortex walked closer and closer, and as he was about to inject Crash, he was knocked off his feet by a kick from Crash.

Cortex was furious now. "Why you little…"

"I've got him," Brio replied. He had Crash restrained manually as Cortex neared the restless bandicoot once again. This time, Cortex was close enough to pierce the needle through Crash's furry skin, inject him with the liquid, and waited.

Suddenly, Crash had little energy to struggle and his vision began to blur. He focused on Cortex's N on his forehead as he slipped into unconsciousness.

The two scientists rested as they saw Crash snoozing in his seat.

"You see, Brio?" Cortex asked. "That much energy? Why would you not want to use that bandicoot to its full potential? He's perfect for the leader of my mutant army, don't you agree?"

"Absolutely." Brio replied. "But we still aren't sure what the machine will do."

"I know it will work," Cortex continued. "The simulations told me there's a 99.9% chance of success."

"Well, those are some good odds. Let's do it!"

"I thought so, Brio."

CB CB CB CB CB

Crash was walking through the forest with a killer headache, and he started to look around in confusion. The sky was green, the grass was blue, and the sun was purple. He noticed the sound of rushing water and ran to find it. By the time he reached the source of the sound, he realized something else about the area: it was a floating island. At the bottom of the abyss, he saw clouds covering the bottom and spotted a stream of water falling into it.

Crash just made a series of grunts, and walked over to the water stream. As he approached it, he noticed it had a foul smell to it, like rotten fish. Despite this, desperate for a drink, Crash took a sip of the water, but it surprisingly tasted like wumpa fruit, the island's best growing source of food. Confused, he set out to find his quiet cave where he lives. While walking, he spotted his sister, Coco, crying in the grass. Feeling sorry, he walked over to her in order to comfort her.

"Oh, hi, big bro," Coco said. "You made it out?"

Crash grunted as if to say "I don't know."

"Oh," Coco replied, "that explains why you're here. This place is only for those who have achieved peace." Crash grunted as if he was confused again.

"You'll find out soon enough," Coco told Crash. "For now, just wake up."

Crash grunted in confusion again.

"Wake up. Wake up. Wake…"

CB CB CB CB CB

It was too late. Crash woke up to find himself restrained only at his wrists, but he was alert enough to hear Cortex's order.

"Brio, lift him into the vortex!"

"Yes, sir," Brio replied, and with the flip of a switch, the chair began to rise into the sphere. Crash continued to struggle, but he was unable to break free in time. Seconds later, Crash was being blinded by bright yellow lights inside the solitary machine.

"Beginning process," Brio announced. As the machine began to whir, Crash's struggling finally broke his wrist restraints and began banging at the walls. Achieving no success, he chose to sit in the chair and wait to be lowered down.

"It's done," Brio stated moments later. He pulled the switch again to lower Crash from the Vortex, and Cortex approached him with extreme caution.

"Bandicoot," Cortex started, "can you hear me?" Crash nodded.

"I-it worked?" Brio asked.

"I think so, Brio," Cortex replied.

"Congratulations, Cortex," Brio told Cortex, "I always knew you would…" Just then, Brio noticed a warning light.

"Error? But what kind of…"

"Ahhhh!" Cortex screamed. Brio turned around to see Crash attacking Cortex, frozen in place.

"Agh, failure again!" Cortex complained. "Brio! After him!" Frightened, Crash ran for the nearest window and jumped out of it.

"Uh oh," Crash uttered as he realized what he had done, and promptly fell into the ocean. Cortex and Brio raced to the window and witnessed Crash splash into the ocean.

"I knew it was too good to be true," Brio remarked. Cortex promptly slapped him across the face.

"Only you would say that," Cortex replied.

"What are we gonna do now?"

Cortex's smile melted back onto his face. "It's not over yet. We still have one more option."

Brio's face lit up with anguish. "No. You don't mean…"

"Bring me… the female bandicoot."


	4. Aku-Aku

After many endless moments of floating in the sea, Crash finally washed up on an island's beach. He was only able to glance over at the forests, spotting something rustling among the trees before once again slipping into unconsciousness.

Just like before, Crash found himself wandering in a nameless, endless forest, desperately looking for a place to rest. He took rough notes on the surroundings, especially the numerous wumpa fruit trees that were scattered along the path. After minutes of travel, he reached the edge of the island, as well as a sea of water that he knew wasn't there last time he was here.

He was about to turn around until he saw Coco once again, crying on the sandy beach. Again like before, he trekked over to his sister's side, desperate to comfort her.

She looked up. "Oh, it's you again, Crash," she said. "Is something wrong?" Crash just shook his head before putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Hmm?" she asked. "Oh, I'm fine. Don't worry." Crash still sensed something wrong with her attitude. She was usually so cheerful around him, but she acted like someone in her life just died.

"Seriously, I'm fine," she reassured. "Just wake up and it you'll see." Crash scratched his head before his vision began to blur as he regained consciousness.

CB CB CB CB CB

Crash slowly opened his eyes while the sound of soothing waves crashed in his right ear. He tilted his head in the same direction to see he was no longer in Cortex's castle but rather on a remote beach. At first, he was relieved to have escaped from his tyrannical captor's clutches, but that was until he remembered Coco. She was still in the castle, and Crash began to run in circles at the thought of it.

"Calm down," a nearby voice boomed. Crash just as quickly stopped and looked towards the woods. Was it the same figure rustling through earlier? He began tiptoeing towards the tree line, taking every precaution not to be spooked by whatever was watching him. He promptly stopped just before entering the woods, now terrified by whoever was trying to get his attention.

Suddenly, what looked like a floating piece of bark darted from the woods, forcing Crash to stumble backwards before landing butt first in the sand. At first glance, the figure appeared to be a piece of wood from a tree, decorated with various feathers on the top of its head; two solid yellow eyes peered at him as its mouth, filled with teeth, remained closed until it looked ready to speak.

"Can you understand me?" it asked. Crash nodded.

"Alright," it continued, "then allow me to introduce myself. My name is Aku-Aku. I am a spirit mask." Crash scratched his head as he uttered a series of grunts that sounded like a question to the sagely mask.

"Basically, I mean you no harm at the moment," he summarized, followed by a nod from Crash.

"Now, I'm guessing from your hapless daze that you're missing something," the mask suggested. Crash looked out to the sea, spotted Cortex's castle, and pointed at it for Aku-Aku to see.

"Oh," he replied, "so you aren't a fan of that island either?" Crash shook his head, trying to find a way to let the mask know of his intentions. He next pointed at himself, then to the island.

"You're from that island?" the mask asked. Crash slapped his face with his hand. He bolted upright, and ran for the trees. He grabbed a few vines and placed them on his head; at the same time, the mask raised his eyebrow, curious as to what the creature was trying to convey. Crash ran back to the mask's presence, pointing at himself yet again, followed by pointing at the castle again.

"Umm," the mask struggled. "Oh! There's a girl out there?" Crash nodded proudly as he let out a sigh of relief.

"I see now," the mask said, "so you need to get to that castle in order to save a girl?" Crash nodded once more.

"Well then, I think I may be of help to you. I can guide you to the island there on your quest, but I must ask of something from you." Crash signaled at the mask to continue.

"I need you to put an end to the pollution that maniacal doctor has inflicted on these islands. It's starting to harm the wildlife here, and they don't have many other places to go anymore." Crash turned around and scratched his head while he pondered the mask's offer. He desperately wanted to get his sister back, but he was sure he could do it on his own. Then again, if he got lost, then no one would be helping her at all.

Crash promptly turned around and nodded, accepting the mask's offer.

The mask nodded as well. "Okay then, let's get going." As the mask floated into the woods, Crash made a mad dash to keep up. His adventure had just begun.

* * *

**Hello, world! Thank you for reading my latest chapter in Crash Bandicoot Origins. I surely hope you guys are enjoying the ride so far. Being a major part of my childhood, I felt I had to make my own interpretation of the timeline given the current condition of the franchise thus far. For example, subbing Tawna for Coco since Tawna was never really seen after the first game, and the fact that I wanted to expand the sibling dynamic between Crash and Coco.**

**Anyways, this all basically means that I hope to expand the story beyond the basic platformer plots from the past, and I will stick to game storylines up to Wrath of Cortex/Tag Team Racing (my cutoff for the series) before I come up with anything else afterwords. But hey, that's easily months from now, probably in the form of sequels. Until that time comes, enjoy the ride, and be sure to support my other series I post frequently for.**

**-rjm324**


	5. The Plot Thickens

After a minute, Aku-Aku finally brought Crash onto a dirt path, leading to some ancient ruins. As Crash emerged from the overgrowth, he looked up at Aku.

"Don't worry," Aku reassured, "this is the way we need to go." Crash nodded, and began walking down the marked path. As he continued, he began to notice bundles of crates and cackles of enemies. Once again, Crash looked up at Aku.

"I don't know what's in the crates, but you need to do what you can to get rid of those creatures." Crash nodded once again, and approached the first enemy: a large crab. In a split second, Crash decided to hop on the crab, and when he did, it was flattened under his shoes.

"Ohh," Crash cooed. He was fascinated by how easy the crab was to defeat.

"Yes, like that," Aku reassured. In another second, Crash destroyed a stack of three crates and out emerged a few dozens of wumpa fruit. Crash rejoiced as he gobbled up each and every one.

"Ah," Aku noted, "You seem to take a liking to those."

"Uh-huh," Crash grunted as he wiped his face.

"Well, I won't stop you from eating them," Aku began, "just so long as you can keep up. We have quite a ways to go before me arrive at Cortex's castle." Crash nodded.

"Let's go, then." Aku said as he floated past a giant pit in their path. Crash just smirked as he took a running start to hop over the pit.

CB CB CB CB CB

Brio was walking through the castle walls as he went to approach his partner's chamber; as usual, he heard the moans and groans of the imprisoned creatures that littered the dungeons.

"Darn it," he heard Cortex shout, accompanied by the sound of shattering glass. Brio hurried to the door, and found Cortex resting his head on his worktable.

"Cortex?" Brio asked. "What's wrong?"

"Everything," Cortex sulked.

Brio patted his back. "What specifically is wrong? What happened with the bandicoot?"

Cortex shoved Brio aside and sighed. "I-I looked it over, and the odds of the female bandicoot succeeding are far lower than with the other one."

"W-well," Brio started, "that doesn't mean it will end 100% in failure. Just look at the other bandicoot."

"Don't remind me of HIM," Cortex snarled. "He was a bitter failure."

"And yet," Brio continued, "he had a very high chance of success. So maybe odds don't matter."

"How would that be possible?" Cortex asked.

"I have no clue," Brio responded. "The point is fate may very well come back to our side."

Cortex raised his head and faced his partner in crime. "Well, then let's give it another go. Go prep the female bandicoot for the process."

Brio nodded. "As you wish."

CB CB CB CB CB

Coco continued to cry in the corner of her cell, worried for her brother's safety as usual.

"Oh, Crash," she sobbed, "why couldn't I be of more help?" Her sadness quickly turned to fear as the door to the passageway was forced open by the always intimidating Koala Kong. Sweat immediately began to bead down her face as she clinged to the bars in the corner of her cell, unwilling to leave.

"S-STAY BACK!" she shouted, razor focused on her intentions of staying until the door of her cell was forced open by Kong. In an instant, Coco was being held by the iron gripped giant as she tried to kick her way out with all of her might; it was, of course, to no avail as Koala was much stronger than she was.

Soon, the door to Brio's lab was opened, and Coco was thrown down into a chair. Afterwards, the towering giant left the room, leaving Coco alone in the room.

"W-what's going on?" she asked herself. Before long, Brio entered the room, beakers in hand.

"Ah, hello vermin," Brio sneered.

"What do YOU want?" Coco demanded. "Where's my brother?"

"Your what?" Brio asked mockingly. "Oh, the other bandicoot. Let's just say he's no longer with us anymore."

Coco's eyes widened. "He's g-gone?" she asked. "N-no. H-he can't be-"

"Oh, but he is," Brio replied. "I got to see it for myself."

"Y-you monster," she cursed.

"Oh, and just what are you going to do about it?" Brio asked.

"Like THIS!" she shouted as she punched Brio in the gut.

"Oof," Brio grunted. He stood back up. "Why you…" He was then tripped by Coco before he could finish his comment.

"That's right," she remarked. "Stay down! You don't mess with a girl who knows KUNG-FU!"

Brio looked up. "Ugh!" he grunted. "You know you're not getting away, right? Another one of us will just bring you back."

"Not with my skills, they won't!" she replied.

Brio smiled. "I like that energy. Better use it while you can." Coco didn't hesitate as she took off in the opposite direction while she had the element of surprise.

_I hope you're okay, Crash,_ she thought. _You're all I have left._

CB CB CB CB CB

Crash and Aku-Aku walked through a small archway, no doubt the passage out of the jungle paradise they were travelling through. All the while, Crash was still munching on every piece of wumpa fruit he found lying around.

"How can you eat so many of those?" Aku asked Crash, but he just shrugged his shoulders as he pointed in the direction of the faint dirt path, grunting for confirmation.

"Yes, I believe that's the way," Aku confirmed. Crash just continued to walk forward without fear, confident in his abilities. That is, until he tripped on a length of rope that spanned the pathway. Although there was a rumbling noise that began, Crash just thought he was still hungry and took off to find more wumpa fruit; just then, Aku-Aku turned around to find that a boulder that was perched precariously above their heads was now leaning in their direction.

"Oh no," Aku said. "Crash, RUN!" Crash looked in Aku's direction to see the boulder indeed move; without hesitation, Crash began dashing down the hill as Aku-Aku caught up with the hapless bandicoot as the boulder hit the ground.

"You need to move faster than that!" Aku reminded as the boulder continued to roll their way. Just then, Crash remembered the stash of wumpa fruit that he kept in his pocket.

"Now's not the time for EATING!" Aku shouted angrily. Crash then popped three in his mouth and instantly felt rejuvenated. In fact, he was running twice as fast as usual, and the downhill slope certainly wasn't hurting anything.

"Crash, JUMP!" Aku shouted. Crash looked closer and noticed another pit and jumped; after landing on one column, he jumped on yet another one a yard away before landing on the ground on the other end of the pit. He and Aku-Aku turner around to see the boulder fall on the first column, which collapsed under the rock's enormous weight; as for the second, the boulder took that one out as well as it fell into the seemingly floorless pit.

Crash just wiped his forehead before Aku-Aku decided to address him once more.

"Well," Aku started, "this is turning out more dangerous than I originally planned. I'm sorry for all this." Crash just scratched his head as usual.

"Well," he began again, "if you're up for it, then let's just keep going." Crash nodded as the mask looked around for the next pathway.

* * *

**Welcome to the end, as always! I hope that you're enjoying the ride thus far, as I am with writing it. I am of course sticking to character tropes and personalities that still hold up from the games, and mixing fragments of Crash's journey with interpretations of what is going on in the castle, like Coco attempting to escape.**

**Anyways, I don't want to drone on anymore, so I'll leave you to your own business. Thanks again guys!**

**-rjm324**


	6. Caves and Natives

Either out of sheer luck or lack of security, Coco successfully escaped from Cortex's castle, and made it back to the forest. Confident that Crash wouldn't just disappear, she decided the best course of action would be to try checking at their old cave for him.

_I know you're here somewhere,_ she thought. Surprisingly, the road getting to the cave was fairly quiet, outside of the island's ambient noises like mosquitoes buzzing. While she walked, Coco thought about times gone by with her brother, like innocent games of hide and seek.

"Those were fun times," she remarked. "I hope we can have more of those times soon, Crash." Then, in no time flat, she finally came across their old cave they called home; even after all this time, she could still imagine all the fun she used to have as a simple bandicoot. She approached the entrance, still brimming with hope that Crash would be here, but to no avail; the small hole was completely empty and devoid of life.

"Nothing," she said disappointedly. "Oh, where in the world could you be, Crash?" Her sorrow was cut short by rustling footsteps that grew ever louder with each step; without meaning to, Coco hid behind one of the boulders that littered the cave with the hope that whoever was passing by would leave without spotting her.

"Do you see anything?" a voice asked. This question was answered by a grunting noise of apparent disapproval. The next second, a gunshot was heard, but due to the cave's echo, it sounded a thousand times louder to Coco.

"Well, keep looking, you moron!" the voice shouted. More footsteps were heard, and to Coco, it sounded like they were getting closer; foolishly, she peeked out for a fraction of a second, spotting the same grey giant that restrained her earlier and a towering figure dressed in a pinstripe suit. As soon as the giant looked in her direction, Coco pulled back, her heart rate spiked with adrenaline, and began to cower near the cave's wall.

_What were you thinking?_ She thought to herself. _Now I'll be caught for sure._ Again, a gunshot sounded off, the sound emphasized in the cave.

"The cave is EMPTY!" the voice growled. "Now get back over here!" After another series of grunts was exchanged, more rustling footsteps were heard before they momentarily disappeared completely. Once again, Coco peeked at the cave's entrance, but the two figures had miraculously disappeared.

"Thank goodness," she said to herself. "If I'm going to find Crash, I can't be that reckless." After recomposing herself, Coco emerged from the cave and once again found nothing and no one in the immediate area. Now fully relaxed, Coco decided to head out towards the beach, hoping that Crash might've washed up around there if he did indeed escape from the castle.

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"Agh!" Crash exclaimed as he hit the ground. Granted, he was bound to get hurt on this journey, but after carefully navigating one of the numerous gates built by the natives, he fell down during the final stretch of about ten feet on the opposite side.

"Are you alright?" Aku-Aku asked. Crash just held a thumb up in agreement; after that, he stood up, shook the dirt off of his fur, and popped another piece of wumpa fruit in his mouth.

"O-okay, then," Aku replied. "We need to go this way." Aku peered at the straw hut that stood directly in front of the duo. Crash pointed at the hut.

"Yes, that's the way," Aku replied. "However, the only way past is battling the native that lives inside." When Aku looked where Crash was standing, he was shocked to see that the wacky marsupial had moved. When Aku turned around, he saw that Crash was just walking through the hut's front door.

"Wha?" he stuttered. "Crash, wait!" When he finally made it in, he noticed that the native that lived inside was, in fact, a chief, which could spell disaster to their journey.

"What are you doing, Crash?" Aku asked. But Crash wasn't listening, as he precisely jumped over the fat chief's staff that was being dragged around, before just as precisely bopping on the man's head. After a few minutes of this, the man collapsed to the ground, presumably from exhaustion.

"Ta-da!" Crash vocalized. Instead of immediately responding, Aku-Aku just floated in place, his jaw wide open.

"H-how were you able to knock out Papu-Papu, the natives' leader?" Aku asked. Like usual, Crash just shrugged his shoulders. But before Aku could ask another question, Crash pointed outside as a horde of the natives gathered at the door.

"What's wrong, Crash?" Aku asked, but Crash continued to point at the door furiously, even going so far as acting out what some of the natives were doing. Finally, recomposed, Aku turned around to the angry mob, spears and all pointed at the two foreigners: he and Crash.

"Oh no," Aku vocalized. "We need to go, Crash." Turning around, Aku was once again stunned to see Crash not in his past spot, but at the back of the hut, jumping onto a parked boar.

"Don't you…" Aku started before Crash hopped on the hog, dashing far away from the hut. While not the most comfortable ride, Crash held his hands up high with pride, having avoided the immediate threat. After a moment, Crash noticed more natives dead ahead, desperately trying to block the hapless bandicoot's escape path. However, a simple kick had the hog hopping over every obstacle the natives threw his way. Finally, Crash spotted the beach in the distance, hoping that he would be home free; however, Crash immediately felt as if he was beginning to enter a free fall, as the ground under him and the boar turned out to not be solid ground, but a carefully set trap.

Crash was still one step ahead, as he hopped off the doomed hog, landing face first in the dirt. Crash just laid motionless, seemingly unaware of what was happening.

"Crash?" a voice asked. Crash raised his head and saw that it was Coco.

"Oh, thank goodness you're awake," she said as she hugged Crash until he was out of breath. Crash struggled to escape her grip until she finally let go.

"I thought I had lost you," she added. "Are you okay?" Crash nodded.

"That's good. How about you go take a dip in the ocean? You're filthy." Crash nodded as he ran towards the beach and, immediately, leaped into the water. After a few minutes of wading around, Crash's head popped out of the water; but when he looked at the beachfront, Coco was nowhere to be seen, with Aku-Aku taking her place.

"How did you get away from them?" Aku asked. Crash shrugged his shoulders as he waded out of the water. Crash looked around, wondering where Coco could've gone. Unfortunately for Crash, it seemed that Coco was just a mirage from his temporary hysteria. Crash spotted the castle in the distance and pointed it out for Aku.

"Hold on," Aku replied. "We've still got a while to go. See that island across from us?" Aku faced another island, littered with more ruins. Crash nodded once again.

"That's our next stop," Aku added. "You up for a little swim?" Crash replied by reentering the water, ready to take the next step.

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**What's up, internet world? It's me again, here to give you another congrats for reaching the end of the chapter. Now this chapter took a bit longer than the others to actually write because I had several ideas I wanted to use but finally decided on the final layout as I was deep in the writing process. I hope that the segments have worked together so far, as my ultimate goal is, of course, to entertain you, so don't forget to leave reviews so that I may figure out more ways to keep the story flowing.**

**And since Activision isn't doing anything to help Crash, I hope I'm giving fellow fans close to what they want from the poor bandicoot, because I'm planning on continuing this for a fair amount of time alongside other fanfic projects. Well, I'm tired of conversing with an empty screen, so I'll leave you be. Read on!**

**-rjm324**


	7. The Kangaroo of the Ruins

After an eternity of swimming, Crash pulled himself out of the water and onto a floating log. Although things looked easy at first, He looked up to stare blankly at another site of ruins at the top of a menacing waterfall.

"Yes, Crash," Aku replied blankly, "we need to go up there." Crash immediately pointed to a brush of woods that seemed to circle around the island.

"W-well," Aku replied, "I-I just need you to do something for me real quick." Crash scratched his head.

"That doctor that held you," Aku continued as he glared at the ruins, "he's not only destroying the islands. He's also letting his unfathomably unnatural creations roam free which, in turn, also disrupt the unaffected islands. And the creature up there loves to cackle in the night and send active TNT boxes down from the waterfall." Aku turned back to Crash. "And if you want to live peacefully, these creatures must be stopped." Crash nodded.

"Then," Aku continued, "let's get going. We need a place to stay for the night anyways." Crash approached the rocky Cliffside and began scaling it like the tribal walls.

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Cortex was standing in his lab, staring down at the black eyed Brio. While he didn't care to know what exactly happened, he was sure of one thing: the female bandicoot escaped.

"B-boss," Brio stuttered, "I-I can explain! It was…" Brio was sharply cut off with a slap in the face by Cortex that was so hard, he was knocked to the ground.

"You moronic imbecile," Cortex shouted. "How in the world did you let that bandicoot escape?!"

"I-I'm sorry, sir," Brio stuttered again. "S-She was too strong for me. She knows…" Brio was then kicked in the gut and promptly curled into a ball.

"No excuses!" Cortex shouted. "I want to be the ultimate ruler of the world, and the LAST thing I need is a SETBACK!"

"Guh," Brio coughed. He knew he was beat when he saw blood mixed in the spit that lay on the ground.

"J-Just give me another chance. I can catch her. I can…"

"No, Brio. I've already got Pinstripe on retrieval."

Brio's eyes widened. "That shady, pyrotechnic rat? He'll kill her if anything!"

"It's better than letting her escape. Besides, where is she going to hide that he hasn't already mapped out?" Cortex sighed and turned his back to his beaten partner. "Just leave me. I'll call you when I need you." Brio shakily nodded as he pulled himself through the lab door. Brio was then able to stagger to his feet, avoiding any of Cortex's other minions, and, after an eternity, made it to his private lab.

"Cortex," Brio sighed, "what on earth happened to you?" After a moment of self reflection, Brio returned to mixing his various chemicals.

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Before they even reached the final ledge, Crash and Aku heard a cackling emanating from the space above them, which was immediately followed by a TNT crate being dumped over the waterfall face. Their eyes were focused on the crate falling into the ocean and, eventually, exploding into a geyser of water.

"Well," Aku started, "looks like we're here. Let's go." Crash nodded as he pulled his body up over the ledge and noted the area: nine ancient looking concrete stepping stones, TNTs falling from an even further up waterfall, and the sole occupant. This occupant was an unnaturally blue kangaroo, wearing a straightjacket, and sporting blood shot, cross eyed pupils.

"I hope you have an idea in mind, Crash," Aku noted. Crash responded by hopping onto the first stone, attracting the maniacal kangaroo towards him as it cackled just as maniacally as his appearance

"Wait, what are you doing?" Aku asked worriedly. Crash followed it up by hopping on a nearby TNT crate. After hopping away the crate exploded, but not before catching the crazy blue blur in its blast.

"Great thinking, Crash!" Aku cheered. "Hold on, it's coming back!" Sure enough, the kangaroo quickly recovered its strength, and resumed its pursuit of Crash. Fortunately, Crash just kept it moving as another TNT block fell from the waterfall. And considering how dim the hapless kangaroo was, getting it in the range of the second block was just as easy. Even after this, it still seemed evident that the kangaroo was still not learning from its mistakes when it entered the range of a third TNT. As the kangaroo cackled once more, it collapsed into the water and went over the lower waterfall along with the constant stream of TNT blocks. Crash and Aku just stared over the edge as the kangaroo plummeted to the ocean.

"Good job, Crash," Aku congratulated. "I do feel pity to that creature, but maybe now things will calm down." Crash once again spotted the far away island that held his precious sister.

"There'll be time to save her, Crash," Aku reassured. "But for now, we must rest. It's too dark to continue on right now." Crash nodded. The two left the ruins behind and spotted a nearby shrub to sleep near. After exchanging a few types to communication (though Crash still spoke no actual words), the two easily slipped into unconsciousness.

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**Well, I'm back with a new chapter. Now more than ever, I'm sorry if this chapter feels a little rushed or sloppy. I wrote this chapter in two segments: one two weeks ago and another from yesterday. Although both segments sound good to me right now, I might feel ashamed by it a few hours from now. But then, that must be how a lot of people must feel when they create content, whether it be videos or writing.**

**Before I go, I have to give thanks to ****Crescent Moon -Jessica151294**** for always leaving a review whenever a chapter goes live. It's feedback like this that helps me to continue writing my various fanfics, no matter if I have a hard time coming up with an idea, or if it makes no sense to others. Anyways, that's enough of my sentimental side, for I have more things to go do.**

**Read on!**

**-rjm324**


	8. Coco's Journey

Even in the darkness of the night, Coco just couldn't rest; it was bad enough that she was being chased, but the thought of what could possibly be happening to Crash just tore her up inside. After a while, however, she found that she needed to look for a place to sleep, as fatigue began to take over her mind. That being realized, she migrated to the beach and found a cave small and secluded enough for her to hide.

"I guess it'll do," she remarked; when she thought she heard rustling footsteps, she darted into the cave, her heart rate racing. She stood absolutely still for the longest time, expecting one of Cortex's minions to appear right before her eyes and take her back to the castle to do who knows what to her; she dreaded this thought so much that she even withheld from swallowing the spit in her mouth in order to keep the sound of swallowing from giving away her position.

Finally, after nearly half an hour, she realized that the coast really was clear, and after relaxing for a few minutes, she fell into a dormant slumber.

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When Coco opened her eyes, she knew that she was in a deep sleep, considering that A) she was standing up, and B) the island was now covered in a deep mist or fog of some kind. It didn't take long for her to realize that it was a memory of times gone by; the island was relatively peaceful; there were no castles or waste (in fact, there was nothing manmade at all), and the wildlife was full of cute, adorable island dwellers like koalas and, yes, bandicoots.

That thought hit Coco's head like a nail, and she then proceeded to run towards the inner part of the island. All the while, she took in the inviting atmosphere for as long as she could, since the island looked nothing like this today. After a few minutes of running, she came across her old home once again, and then proceeded to peek inside; and what she saw was two innocent and young forms of her and Crash, having fun wrestling each other with all fours.

_Oh, Crash, _Coco thought to herself, _where did those times go?_ At that instant, she heard a familiar banging sound in the distance: gunshots. She went off to hide behind a nearby rock, despite the fact nothing bad could actually happen to her. She then peeked over her hiding spot, and found the familiar faces of Brio and the large rat figure from that following day; that didn't shock her as much as who the rat was holding in his hands: her younger self. The rat looked to Brio, who nodded in approval before the two retreated back into the woods.

Coco squinted her eyes shut. _ I'VE HAD ENOUGH! _ She screamed in her head. _I'VE HAD ENOUGH! I'VE HAD ENOUGH! I'VE HAD…_

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Coco bolted into an upright position, fur matted from her slumber; it wasn't from the humidity, but was in fact sweat.

_What a nightmare,_ she thought. She had little time to relax, however, as she had to continue on her quest to find Crash. Peeking out from the cave, she looked around for any semblance of life, natural or otherwise; when she found none, she emerged and stretched her nimble limbs to their limits. She then proceeded to practice her kung-fu for a few moments before glancing back at the other islands.

"Don't worry, Crash," she said. "I know you're out there somewhere." Then, she returned to the dense forestry. Like usual, the same old stuff littered the area: the mutated animals, some waste, and of course the other animals that ducked for cover, whether it was because of her or not. After a short trek, she spotted another of what she suspected as Cortex's buildings; it looked as if it were made of dull metal and brick, and she also noticed the green glow that emanated from the ditches and from inside the building itself. But it was the sign than hung over the entrance that confirmed her fears: Cortex Power.

"What is this?" she asked herself, and almost instantly, she heard more rustling. Like clockwork, she retreated back to the woods and hid behind one of the many downed logs; this time, however, she was confident that she was far enough away for her to peek without being caught. Slowly and cautiously, Coco peeked over the rotting log to find the same rat and monster from the first cave standing in front of the large building; she saw the rat's lips moving so she focused in on his conversation.

"…thinks we can find her just fine," the rat said. A grunt of confirmation was heard.

"Excellent," the rat continued. "Finding the first bandicoot was easy. So once we find this other one, we'll finally get the respect and admiration we deserve!" After bidding farewell, the rat vanished inside the building's metal doors and the other figure retreated back into the woods, presumably back to the castle. Coco was just cupping her hands over her mouth.

_ Crash captured?_ She thought. _ So he is alive! But where is he?_ She looked back to the building in front of her. She stood up from the log.

_Looks like I'm going in to find some answers,_ she thought once more as she darted to the entrance. Fortunately for her, the door was left open a crack, so she was able to easily enter the compound. As soon as she did, however, she was greeted with one of what she assumed was the rat's minions. He came running for Coco, but she was just fast enough to knock him down with a kick to the head; when he fell into the gap to his right, Coco heard a splashing noise and observed to see the minion fell into a bright green liquid, who remained lifelessly still as he sank below the surface.

"Remind me not to fall into that," she reminded herself. She continued on, taking care of any others that stood in her way. After a while, though, she found herself in need of rest, but she couldn't stop now unless she wants to be captured. So she continued on, fatigued though she may be, feeling blessed that there were no enemies in sight right now. However, the fumes that came from below her was getting to be too much to handle, and she finally succumbed to exhaustion.

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When she awoke, she was strapped to a chair in an office overlooking what she assumed was the core of the building. She was now helpless to Cortex's will once more, and she felt stupid at herself for being so weak. In the next moment, a door opened behind her; she turned her head as much as she could to find that it was, once again, the rat.

"Oh, good," he spoke. "You're awake."

"Don't try acting so innocent, you rat!" Coco barked.

"Woah, woah," he continued. "Don't act so tough, girly. I'm the big fish here, capiche? "

"I'm not saying anything to you," Coco replied.

"That's fine, I'll talk. The name's Pinstripe Potoroo, see? I run this here power plant for Cortex. But more importantly, he asked me to find you at any cost."

"Are you taking me to where you took Crash?" Coco asked.

"Who?" Pinstripe asked. "Oh, right. Well, here's the thing: that was a setup. A sham. No one knows where that bum is."

"W-What?" she stuttered.

"'Fraid so. This was just a rouse to get you out of hiding. Cortex did say any means necessary." Coco remained quiet, deep in disbelief that she was fooled like this.

"What?" Pinstripe asked. "Got nothing else to say, girly?"

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**Greetings reader. Hope you enjoyed this Coco-focused chapter. I felt bad leaving her out or giving her limited focus the past few chapters, so there you go. A new regular chapter should come out sooner than this one (I have AP high school courses and all, so no promises), but when I think about it, things might get worse when I get to college, but hey. That's still a while from now, so no worrying right now.**

**Gotta go for now. As always, review and follow/favorite to support everything I do.**

**Read on!**

**-rjm324**


	9. Road to Ruin

"Why ain't you talking?" Pinstripe finally asked after a half hour of silence. "Are you hiding something?" As usual, Coco remained absolutely silent.

"Ohhh," Pinstripe added, "I think I know why you're so silent. You know where that miserable rat is, don't you?" Coco strained herself to stay quiet, even though she knew that wasn't true.

"Talk, pipsqueak!" Pinstripe threatened as he held up his tommy gun to Coco's head. "Where's the vermin that troubles my employer so much?" He was shocked to see that Coco was not only continuing to remain silent, but that she also wasn't flinching at the sight of the very weapon that stuck every one of his enemies with fear. Knowing that this conversation would be going nowhere, Pinstripe lowered his gun, and turned towards the exit.

"Ah, well," he spoke to break the silence once more. "It's not like I'll be penalized for your resistance to speak. My job is already complete, so just sit tight while one of the boss' accomplices comes to take you away." Pinstripe then opened the office door, exited, and slammed the door back in agitation. At last, Coco drooped her head down and began to sob for the longest time; not only did she have no idea where her beloved brother was, but she was being sent back to the one place she tried so valiantly to escape from.

At last, the familiar Koala Kong came, cage in hand, to retrieve the broken animal. After being corralled into the cage by Pinstripe, Kong exited Cortex Power, and made the long trek back to Cortex Castle.

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"DUCK!" Aku shouted as a swarm of bats headed straight for Crash's head; despite his mindless nose picking, he did duck down, but just to pick up the wumpa fruit he found lying on the stone ground of the ruins they were traversing through. Like clockwork, the bats flew over the duo.

"GO!" Aku shouted. Crash finally responded to him by dashing through the passage of land, then leaped over to the proceeding stone column. With the imminent danger avoided, Crash went straight to munching on more wumpa fruit.

"Honestly Crash," Aku began once more, "If you keep this up, we might not get out of this alive." As he faced the orange marsupial once more, he was not all stunned at this point to find Crash had once again bolted forward without him.

"Why waste my breath?" Aku muttered to himself. There was nothing else to do except follow his witless companion through the dangerous ruins; that is, until he decided to take a shortcut ahead to try and meet Crash at the end of this stretch of ruins. When he finally found a place to wait, he let a few minutes tick away.

Ten minutes quickly turned to half an hour, which then turned to an hour, until he finally decided to check the marked path for Crash; certainly he wasn't too far away. Finally, a good hundred or so meters later, he found Crash, puking what looked like juice from the wumpa fruit into the water below.

"See what I meant about eating too many of those?" Aku asked. But just as quickly as Crash had bolted back up to a standing position, he pulled yet another wumpa fruit out of his pocket and proceeded to eat it.

"Oh, if I had hands," Aku muttered. He quickly abandoned the thought as Crash was once again outpacing him like a cheetah.

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"Ugh," Brio heaved as he tightened a few bolts on the Cortex Vortex. He had been at work on it all day, at the request of Cortex, in the hopes that a little fine tuning under the hood was all that needed to be accomplished.

"I don't see why Cortex doesn't work on his own machines every once in a while," he muttered. "Otherwise, one could simply call it my invention."

"Quite right," a voice responded. Brio turned and found it was Cortex. "The thing about that is that a scientist shouldn't have to be troubled with building and maintaining something as fragile as this. You of all people should know this."

"Are you even sure that the machine was at fault?" Brio continued.

"OF COURSE IT WAS!" Cortex shouted. "ARE YOU ASSUMING THAT I'M TOO INCOMPETENT FOR WORLD DOMINATION?!"

"Well, you said it yourself that you failed once before," Brio continued. "And I'm also willing to bet that the prospect of another failure makes you **seem** incompetent."

Cortex looked to Brio. "What did you just say?" he asked.

"What you're basically saying that because of two past failures, that makes you look incompetent, even inferior, to others who could do it much more…" Brio would never finish his sentence as Cortex proceeded to punch, kick, and downright strangle his partner to the point of near death.

"WHAT KIND OF DAMNED FOOL DO YOU TAKE ME FOR, BRIO?!" Cortex swore furiously. "I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT YOU, OF ALL PEOPLE, WOULD PAINT ME IN THAT KIND OF LIGHT! LEAVE MY PRESENCE BEFORE I UNLESH HELL ON YOU!" Brio wasted no time in once again stumbling out of the lab, especially with his partner's current state of mind. When he finally stumbled into his own lab, he slammed the door shut and boarded it up in fear of facing Cortex's wrath once more.

"L-Lord, what have I d-d-done to deserve t-t-this?" Brio stuttered.

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"WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS?!" Aku shouted as he and Crash once again attempted to outrun an incoming boulder. Counting the others from the other island, this must have been at least the eighth one Crash had triggered. Speaking of the hapless bandicoot, he was continuing to eat his wumpa fruit stash as a means of outrunning the boulder; in fact, if he kept triggering boulders at this rate, Aku-Aku was safe in thinking Crash would run out midway through outrunning a twelfth boulder.

"JUMP!" Aku commanded. Crash replied by hopping on one, then two, and finally a third stone pedestal. Not content with standing on such a small space, Crash hopped over to the solid ground that lied before them. And just before they could stop to breathe, Crash and Aku heard a crumbling noise behind them; when they turned, they saw that the pedestals crumbled down to the bottom of the pit, taking the giant boulder with them. At last, Crash collapsed onto his back, passed out from exhaustion.

"Crash?" Aku asked as Crash's mind blanked out. When he opened them again, he rose to find that he was inside Cortex's castle once more. He scratched his head at the sight as he remembered he was just in the forest not too long ago.

"AHH!" a voice shrieked. Crash's ears tingled as he realized that this voice belonged to Coco, his precious sister. He proceeded to follow the voice down the castle's seemingly endless hallways, stairwells, and countless dead ends. At last, he reached the lab, and noted that the machine he was placed in the previous day had been raised, and when it came down, Crash was horrified to see that it was Coco strapped into the chair.

"Oops, looks like you're too late, wretched bandicoot," Cortex taunted as he unstrapped Coco. "And now, I have no need for you. BANDICOOT, ATTACK!" Coco's eyes reopened, and quicker than Crash had to run, Coco tackled him, and proceeded to choke Crash seemingly to death. The last thing Crash saw before losing consciousness once more was the evil in Coco's bloodshot eyes.

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Crash bolted from the ground, gasping for air. Once calmed, he looked around at his surroundings: dense forestry. Another quick glance also revealed that Aku-Aku was nowhere to be seen. As he scratched his head, he decided that it might be a good time as any to take a relaxing stroll despite his damsel in distress sister's life at stake. In fact, all emotion drained from his face drained at the thought of the nightmare he had (despite being in broad daylight).

After a few steps, he noticed a familiar shade of grey in the distance, one that resembled someone (or something) he recognized; he began to pick up the pace, running through a small patch of the ruins he had traversed earlier just find out what made what he saw so familiar. After many moments of pursuit, Crash finally figured out what it was: the giant bear thing that had captured him many years ago. Desperate for an answer to where Coco was, Crash continued to follow, even if it meant going through the cave entrance that led straight into the island's volcano.

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**Hey guys. Welcome, as always, to the end of this chapter. Now if you follow me as an author (and why wouldn't you unless you're trying to hurt my feelings), you've probably noticed that I've updated all of my fanfics with a new chapter. This wasn't by chance, either, because this was the point; if you're following me, then you are now aware of my four other fanfic series, and I just wanted to make sure all of my series were updated to accommodate all my fans.**

**Anyways, I'm sure you noticed that for once, I covered all the storylines I set up, and that Cortex actually swore; this was sort of intentional, as this was meant to show how deep into madness he has descended to. Also, if the crash parts seem a little off, sorry. The original game had minimal plot to begin with, so I'm pretty much making everything up as I go, but I also hope that you're enjoying my interpretation as much as I do writing it.**

**Well, I need to bail. Read on!**

**-rjm324**


	10. Down to the Wire

If it hadn't been for the ever so distracting wumpa fruit on the ground, Crash would've gotten a boulder to the face. Yes, after following the familiar animal into the core of a volcanic mine, Crash bent down and scooped up the single piece of wumpa fruit, narrowly avoiding the boulder hurled at him. When Crash came back up, he glared the creature in the eyes with a newfound determination to beat his foe to the ground and, hopefully, find out where Coco may be.

Crash took a standing position, similar to a western duelist's stance, and motioned at the creature, clear across a lava stream, to throw another boulder. The creature obliged, tossing another worthless hunk of stone over towards Crash; he missed, and if he'd left it at that, he wouldn't have had to endure the shot of pain he was feeling after Crash spun it back right at him. Angry, he stomped on the ground a few times, bringing down a few TNT crates from higher ground; Crash's first instinct, of course, was to avoid the TNT crates, which was made ever so difficult by the simultaneous boulder tossing.

After the crates exploded well out of Crash's range, he motioned at the creature once more to toss another boulder. Regardless of whether it was out of brain damage, the creature once again answered by tossing yet another boulder in Crash's direction, which he promptly dodged once more and just as promptly sent it back, sending more pain throughout the creature's body. This went on several more times, getting to the point where even Crash was surprised the creature was still standing. However, the biggest surprise was when the creature hopped over to Crash's side of the mine, finally tipping the balance.

Crash should've been worried, but he thought out a surprisingly effective way to know the creature out: circling around it, hopefully drawing it to bash on the ground once more and, in turn, bring down more TNT crates. It shouldn't have worked, but the creature actually was dumb enough to play into Crash's hands once again; TNTs rained from the sky, Crash lured the creature to the biggest cluster, and… Kaboom! The creature was laying face down on the ground, leaving Crash to dance in celebration at the monstrous feat he accomplished.

"CRASH?" Aku shouted. "Did you come down here?" When he got to the end of the tunnel and saw Crash shaking his butt, he knew this was the case.

"Crash!" he shouted once more; Crash turned around and waved at his supernatural pal once more.

"What's going on here?" Aku asked. Crash's happy expression melted to an emotionless frown as he pointed to the unconscious creature he's downed moments ago.

"Another of that monster's experiments?" Aku asked. "First a kangaroo, and now a koala? Does he know no shame?" As Aku pondered this, Crash just resorted to poking the poor koala, hoping to wake him up for clues on where his dear sister may be.

"Save your energy, Crash," Aku added. "You've gone and knocked him out cold." Crash just continued poking, hoping for even a single response.

"CRASH!" Aku shouted once more, but Crash kept at it. Then the next thing the hapless bandicoot knew, the koala spontaneously burst into flame, forcing Crash to pull back his hand. He looked back to Aku-Aku, who was no doubt the culprit, and proceeded to scratch his head.

"What?" Aku asked. "I only seared his fur off and nothing more." Sure enough, when Crash turned back to the koala, it was now naked, devoid of any fur.

"Back on topic," Aku continued, "we're running very low on time. The sun is starting to set, and we haven't even made it to the castle's island." Crash once again scratched his head.

"If we want to save her, we need to at least make it to the next island by nightfall. So we should leave by, oh, right now." Crash reacted to this sentence by popping another piece of wumpa fruit in his mouth and dashing out the same way he came in. Aku would've been in awe, but he was well aware of the fruit's effect on the hapless bandicoot.

"That's about as unbelievable as my durability," Aku remarked as he took off to follow Crash.

CB CB CB CB CB

Coco just continued to sob while back in her stone cold cell in the castle. That was it. Her last chance to escape, and she wasted it on chasing down a false lead. With her IQ, that kind of info would've been easy to sniff out as a fib, but she let blind concern lead her to disaster. If only there were something she could've done.

"Oh Crash," she mumbled to herself. "I've failed. Now no one will be able to save you now. Or me." Despite all of the banging, whether it be from the untouched native animals or exotics like komodo dragons, Coco remained curled up in the corner, silently sobbing at the realization her life was officially over.

Even when a new henchman, a part dingo, part crocodile hybrid, came to retrieve her from her cell, she chose to ignore anyone that crossed her path.

"Hey! 'Mon, lass," the creature shouted. "Normally I'd let this ruckus slide, but the boss' 'assistant' is ready to take possession of you again."

"Shove off," Coco barked. "Can't you see I'm crying out my sorrow?"

The creature shrugged. "Well, I didn't wanna do this," he started as he pulled out a comical looking weapon connected to a shoulder-mounted tank, "but if you don't 'mon out on your own, I'll be forced to roast ya."

"You'd be willing to risk delivering your cargo damaged?" Coco clarified. "Sounds like you're not that bright."

"It might, but it gets the job done. Now 'mon out now!" With nothing else up her sleve, Coco stretched in her cell, hopped out, and proceeded to follow this strange hybrid to the stumpy scientist from earlier. There wasn't much to note on the way there, as the surroundings hadn't even changed one bit since she passed through on her escape.

"Hey mate," the creature shouted as he and Coco entered Brio's lab. "I brought the subject."

"G-G-Good work, D-D-Dingodile," Brio stuttered. The creature now known as Dingodile bowed. "N-Now, B-B-Begone."

"Aye, mate," Dingodile replied as he exited the room. Coco, meanwhile, obediently seated herself in the lab's sole test chair without ever being told.

"W-Why, h-hello there, b-b-bandicoot," Brio greeted. "F-Fancy meeting you again, i-isn't it?"

"Oh, just kill me now, doctor," Coco shouted. "You're probably still bruised from when I drop kicked you."

"O-Oh, a-actually, I-I have far bigger b-bruises to deal with than the one you left on m-m-my…"

"Just get on with it! I know you want to use me for your boss' experiment, don't you?"

"W-Well, y-you're right about the e-e-experiment part…"

CB CB CB CB CB

Night has fallen on the trio of islands once more, and Crash and Aku finally made it to the island housing the Castle. But with little energy remaining from his swim, Crash was just panting as Aku seeked out a place to stay. While this went on, Crash just looked at his surroundings; besides the large and menacing castle in the distance, the beach looked relatively normal like the other islands' beaches did.

"Crash!" Aku beckoned from halfway across the beach. Crash weakly followed, rubbing his tummy gingerly as he had run out of wumpa fruit before leaving the second island.

When Crash finally arrived, Aku continued. "I found a small cave just small enough for you to sleep in." Crash smiled weakly as he situated himself inside the small, claustrophobic space for a good night's sleep.

"Sleep well, Crash," Aku said as Crash drifted to sleep. "You're gonna need it for tomorrow." As he required little sleep, Aku just travelled through the unspoiled woods to see what lies ahead for him and Crash. And, for the most part, the island looked nicely maintained, until he found a large complex that took up a significant portion of the island's tip.

"What on earth is this?" Aku asked. The complex was basically a large lump of metal, but when he finally did find a few windows, he was shocked to find perpetually neon green goo spread all throughout the building. In fact, above the first doorway he encountered, he saw the words "Cortex Power" plastered in large, thin, metal letters.

"Oh no," Aku uttered. "I should've known this island was too quiet. Looks like Crash and I have more work to do than we thought."

* * *

**Hello Crash Bandicoot fans! Finally, I've got the latest chapter done, and the first game's arc is getting down to the wire now. Our heroes are finally on the last island, Coco is back in Brio's clutches, and we've got a cameo that was given to Dingodile. All fun, right? Well don't worry, because the best has yet to come.**

**Hopefully once I graduate from high school, updates can come more steadily, so just don't hold your breath until then. Also, if you haven't see, I've created a new Persona fanfic, so if that's your thing, be sure to check that out if you can, because boy have I been waiting to share that one.**

**Anyways, thanks once again for reading, and I hope you stick around for the next chapter!**

**Good night, and read on!**

**-rjm324**


	11. Blinded

"CRASH!" Aku -Aku shouted to the previously snoozing bandicoot. Crash, for the most part, was up and walking, albeit the drool that was falling from his mouth; once he wiped it off, Crash looked to his floating companion for an explanation to his shortened rest cycle.

"We don't have time," Aku said to Crash. "Listen, I just found a disturbing area probably belonging to Cortex." Aku looked back out to the treeline. "I'm sorry, but I need your help in shutting it down before we head to the castle." Although wearing a frown, Crash nodded.

"Alright, I'll lead the way." Aku then turned around and slowly began reentering the patch of woods, with Crash traveling not too far behind. Maybe it was just the exhaustion, but at this point, Crash was starting to hallucinate various things, like non-mutated creatures of the forest and a couple of birds. The most interesting (or disturbing) one to him, however, was one of a few innocent bandicoots. Naturally, Crash's curious behavior drove him to follow them, even if they were hallucinations. After pursuing them for a while, Crash stopped in his tracks at what he saw: the two bandicoots were playfully fighting over a piece of wumpa fruit; that didn't surprise him as much as how familiar this situation was to him…

"Crash?" Aku shouted to the spaced out bandicoot. At the call, Crash shook his head to clear his head of any more distractions and turned back to the path Aku was leading him to. After a near eternity of walking, both Crash and Aku-Aku were standing in front of the giant lump of metal that was discovered by Aku the night before, with the distinctive words "Cortex Power" hanging over the entrance. Crash looked back to Aku as he pointed to the door.

"Yes," Aku replied. "In there. I sense some great presence in there that makes me a little uneasy." Crash nodded, and without hesitation rushed inside the building, with Aku not too far behind, but once inside, something that Crash saw made him stop in his tracks: a trail of wumpa fruit.

"Ooh," Crash cooed. Having had little to eat since last night, Crash innocently began picking up piece after piece, even if it led him out of the main hall.

"Crash, what are you doing?" Aku asked, but once he saw what Crash was picking up, his eyes widened. "Crash, stop picking those up." Normally, Crash would've obliged, but his hunger had pretty much taken over at this point. Even when the trail led him into a walkway with toxic goop under his feet, Crash just kept up his pace, at least until Aku pushed him onto a platform right as a barrel rolled its way into anything in its path. Crash looked to Aku with grateful eyes.

"Just be more careful, Crash," Aku added. "We don't know what Cortex has in store for us. Crash nodded and, after popping a few pieces of wumpa fruit in his mouth, Crash looked to the door they entered from, which was closed and presumably locked, leaving them to walk further down the hall. Another barrel began coming their way once more, but Crash jumped over it with general ease, as he did with the next few barrels before coming face to face with a giant rat standing on two feet and dressed in a suit and top hat, but he was no match for Crash's spin attack which sent him sinking into the green goop.

"I hate having you do this," Aku said, "but there was no saving him. We need to find who's in charge of this facility." Crash nodded, and continued down the seemingly endless corridor.

CB CB CB CB CB

"C-Cortex?" Brio stuttered as he entered his companion's lab once more; it looked like Cortex had stepped out, but Brio wasn't too sure about that considering how determined Cortex was about the plan. In addition, the lights were on, as were many various machines. Regardless, Brio moved over to his partner's computer, which was one of the many machines that remained on, and after a few minutes of browsing, he found a file regarding the plan.

Although mixed with some code, Brio determined that once the female bandicoot is under their control, Cortex's army will be transported to nearby Australia, where the local population will be enslaved, then once Australia is taken over, his influence recognized, other nations will have no choice but to bow down to Cortex.

But Brio didn't feel this would work quite as well as Cortex would imagine, so Brio decided to return to his own lab to find his own solution.

"What are you doing in here, Brio?" Cortex demanded as he opened the door.

"O-Oh, I was j-just making sure t-t-the machine is finely tuned for the bandicoot, s-sir," Brio stuttered, hoping Cortex'll be satisfied with this explanation.

Cortex nodded, wearing a sinister grin on his face. "Very good, Brio," Cortex replied. "I knew I could count on you after all!"

"Y-Yes, boss. I-I've got somewhere to b-be for now."

"To prep the bandicoot, no doubt. Always thinking ahead like me, Brio. I like that!"

"O-Of course. S-See you then, b-boss." Once Brio left the room and closed the room behind him, Brio began to breathe heavily, as if he'd just gotten away with a crime, which he might as well've just did.

CB CB CB CB CB

Crash and Aku were hiding behind a downed chair inside the main office of the plant while what Aku could assume was the one in charge of the plant wildly shot around the room with a tommy gun.

"This must be my lucky day!" the maniacal rat shouted. "I never dreamed that the one my boss was talking about would just waltz right up to my establishment like this."

"Don't get too happy, you filthy rat!" Aku taunted.

"W-What was that?! I'll make you PAY for that little comment, punk!" On cue, the rat continued to fire, with Crash only peeking out periodically for an opening. But considering the rat's pattern of attack, trying to find an opening was near impossible, until its gun jammed.

"Get him, Crash!" Aku shouted, which Crash responded to by running up to the rat and spinning him around, leaving the rat in a daze.

"Grr..." the rat growled, surprised that a lowly little marsupial was able to connect an attack with him. "You'll pay for that, punk!" He then proceeded to shoot wildly once more, almost as if he were mentally insane. But once more, after a few rounds of shooting, his gun jammed up, which Crash took advantage of by spinning the rat around again, leaving it even more bamboozled. Regardless, he continued his barrage of bullets until, like clockwork, his gun jammed once more, and with that final attack, the rat lost control of his aim and unwittingly shot up the reactor core that was separated by a single pane of glass. Once the deed was done, the rat fell down, sprawled out on the ground and defeated.

"Great job, Crash!" Aku congratulated before moving over to the rat's unmoving body. "Now riddle me this, you slippery eel..."

"FYI," the rat began, eyes bloodshot, "my name is Pinstripe, capiche?"

"Whatever. Would your so called 'employer' be that of Doctor Neo Cortex?"

"None of your..." This was all he could get out before Crash began to dance on Pinstripe's body.

"Feel like talking now?" Aku mocked.

"Guh… never." Pinstripe was cut off once more by Crash's dancing, which resulted in a shortness of breath.

Pinstripe laid there moaning for many moments before he finally had enough. "Guh… Alright, dammit! I'll talk!"

"Crash, stop dancing," Aku ordered, to which Crash obediently obliged by moving to a nearby corner and snacking on many pieces of wumpa fruit in celebration.

Pinstripe, unable to stand at the moment, finally began to talk. "Yes, my boss is the great Neo Cortex. Happy?"

"Just one more question: does he imprison another bandicoot like Crash?"

Pinstripe laughed maniacally. "You mean that RAT that I caught weeks ago?" Suddenly, Crash froze in place, wumpa fruit half eaten in his hand, and turned his head to Pinstripe.

"Ohh, did I hit a nerve?" Pinstripe's smile only widened. "Don't tell me she's your girlfriend." Crash's expression just grew angrier as he proceeded to walk nearer to Pinstripe.

"Crash, relax," Aku pressured before facing Pinstripe once more. "So the answer is yes?"

"I even handed her off myself. She was so easy to catch exhausted. After all, of all things I could've done to her..."

His breaking point was reached. Crash began his rapid succession of delivering punches to Pinstripe.

* * *

**I'm back, baby. That's right, I'm here, I'm alive, and I've just delivered a brand new chapter. And honestly, I hope you've been enjoying the darker tone I've been employing to the Crash Bandicoot story, which I hope is part of the reason you've stuck with the story, even though I've only put up 11 chapters in just over a year.**

**And I feel bad that I haven't delivered as many Crash Bandicoot chapters as I wanted to, but if you follow me as a writer, things shouldn't be too bad for y'all. Anyways, I'd best not waste much effort on author notes that few people read, so until next time, read on!**

**-rjm324**


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